Rainbow Wahine's road woes continue

Advertiser Staff

Fresno State coach Stacy Johnson-Klein celebrated during the closing seconds of the Bulldogs' 54-51 Western Athletic Conference win over the University of Hawai'i. Associated Press

The Rainbow Wahine remained oh-for-the-road with a 54-51 loss to the Bulldogs before a capacity (1,401) crowd at North Gym. The 'Bows (12-11) have lost all seven away games this season and six of their last seven overall.

They dropped to 6-8 in the WAC. In the remarkably even conference chase, they are 2 1/2 games behind second-place FSU (15-10, 9-6) but only a game out of ninth. The Bulldogs have won six of their past seven.

The last four teams have to play the first day of the WAC Tournament on March 11 in Tulsa. Hawai'i's final four regular-season games are at home Thursday and Saturday, and at Boise State (March 6) and UTEP (March 8).

This defeat was much like the previous road losses, which came by an average of six points.

The Rainbow Wahine held FSU scoreless the final three minutes and cut a 54-43 deficit to 54-51 on April Atuaia's 3-pointer with 11 seconds left. Atuaia and Kim Willoughby led UH with 13 points apiece.

After a timeout, FSU threw the inbounds pass the length of the floor and out of bounds. UH got the ball under its own basket.

Michelle Gabriel passed the ball in, ran to the corner and got it back. She missed a 3-pointer and UH never saw the ball again.

UH coach Vince Goo thought Gabriel was fouled: "On the hand on the way up," Goo said. "She lost control of the ball, regained it in the air, and still got the shot off, but it wasn't close. They didn't call the foul, so that's the way it is."

That was the closest Hawai'i had been since Laura Garcia's 3-pointer — her first of five — to open the game. Fresno scored the first nine points as the 'Bows opened in a man-to-man defense. They rotated back into their match-up zone and played catch-up the rest of the game.

It was Fresno's first win over Hawai'i in 16 tries and 12 years. The Bulldogs led by at least six, and as many as 13, for 37:39 yesterday. A month ago in Honolulu, they lost by 21.

Goo tried to put the slide into perspective for his team.

"I told them, if you're an average team you're going to lose by 15 or 20 at other's team's places," Goo said. "Ten points is the homecourt advantage. We lost by 10 our first road game, and other than that it's been eight or less. That's not an average team.

"If you look at what we're losing by on the road, and this year the WAC is so even, homecourt advantage takes over. It's not that we're not a good team. It's just really balanced."